Customizing LI tourism with artificial intelligence

For tourists and stay-cationers on Long Island, planning the ideal R&R retreat may be just a few clicks away. So whether you’re a history buff or adventure-seeker, a fine-dining aficionado or a cheap-eats fanatic, you’ll be able to customize a downloadable itinerary that fits your budget and your interest from shore to shore.

This is all thanks to a partnership between Discover Long Island, the region’s Hauppauge-based tourism and promotion agency, and Utrip, an artificial intelligence Seattle-based startup that aims to boost tourism in the area.

It’s projected that by July 31, travelers can create instant, personalized itineraries by filling out a profile on the Discover Long Island’s website or mobile app. The more they tweak their profile – with such details as whether they’re planning a lobster-eating spree, a live music binge or pure beach relaxation – the more customized the suggestions. Travelers can remove what they dislike and add additional information to help the algorithm create an even more personalized plan. The itineraries can be saved as PDFs and also shared.

“We show off a lot of different experiences,” said Gilad Berenstein, Utrip’s CEO.

The program is based on artificial intelligence and the experience of travelers but also the expertise of locals, including, so far, Claudia Fleming and Stephan Bogardus, both chefs at Southold-based North Fork Table & Inn, and Juan Micieli-Martinez, the winemaker at Riverhead-based Martha Clara Vineyards. And there will be others throughout Long Island, according to Jamie Claudio, director of brand development at Discover Long Island.

The platform is part of Discover Long Island’s revamped website, “creating a more user-friendly infrastructure” that drives a focused experience to vacationers, Claudio said.

As more people use Utrip, the system will become increasingly robust, Berenstein said. The platform will also make recommendations based on what others with similar interests have also enjoyed. For example, the system will get to know what families like and dislike, so that parents can better plan. And it will offer many different experiences, not just, say, the Hamptons, which because of its branding, may get the most play when people research travel opportunities online.

Unlike other travel sites, Utrip does not take sponsored posts, so that the recommendations are authentic. There are checks to help prevent anyone from gaming the system so that, for example, a restaurateur couldn’t log into the system and then try to flood it with positive ratings without Utrip being alerted, Berenstein said.

And while travelers can weigh in, reviews are not posted, though tips – such as, “Don’t miss a stroll on the boardwalk” – are there for others to see.

Already, Utrip offers destinations in more than 150 destinations according to its website, and also has a partnership with JetBlue Airways. In February, the company closed a $4 million funding round and added to its board Michael Adler, the ex-Expedia CFO and former Long Islander.

This month the company also added partnerships with Minneapolis and Colorado in addition to Long Island.

As Kristen Jarnagin, Discover Long Island’s president and CEO put it, “We’re able to harness our content in a whole new way.”